The Mosaic

Chapter 5

"He was murdered," Giacinto announced. He grinned smugly when Alessandro immediately walked over.

"Shut up!" Alessandro hissed.

Giacinto turned around slowly, index finger raised -- pinpointing Alessandro's words. He was grinning. "Did you just curse?"

Alessandro raised his eyebrows.

"You totally did."

Alessandro crossed his arms. "I did not."

"Hmm." Giacinto pursed his lips in feigned thought. "Yes, you did."

"I did n -- why are we doing this?"

"Because you don't agree with me," Giacinto said. "Commissario Steno cursing, thought I'd never see that day."

Alessandro's eye twitched. He exhaled slowly. Don't throw him across the yard. Do not throw --

"Now, our slightly over cooked artist here --" Giacinto whispered conspiratorially, pointing to the corpse in the fountain, "didn't really die in a fire."

It took all of Alessandro's willpower not to shout in desperation. If he could stop referring to a murder victim as a slightly over cooked artist, that'd be great. "Really? Because he definitely was alive when he crossed the lawn," he said sourly, glaring pointedly at the ashy path through the green.

"Technically," Giacinto said. "But he was stabbed before that."

"Quiet! This is no matter for--"

"What are you two whispering about?" Laelia piped up.

"I have no idea how someone can be so dense about some things and yet have a sixth sense for things she shouldn't know," Giacinto sighed. "She won't gossip. No worries."

Alessandro dragged a hand through his hair. He knew those two deaths were connected. He just didn't know how.  He grabbed Giacinto's shoulder. "Listen, I cannot allow this to get out."

The Greek watched him through narrow eyes. "To hide your inability to solve those murders?"

Alessandro leant down to whisper in Giacinto's ear. "Because officially those are accidents."

"You didn't report to your superior?"

"No." He tightened his grip for a second. "And it will stay that way." Who would believe Alessandro if he said a mosaic artist had jumped from a platform to escape an assassin while hiding a clue about Genoa planning a war? They'd lock him in a madhouse.

A slow grin spread over Giacinto's face. "You're smarter than you look, Steno."

Alessandro chose to ignore the jab. They'd only end up snapping back and forth again.

They both turned to Laelia.

She was waiting with crossed arms and raised eyebrows, tapping her foot impatiently. "If you pretend Giacinto didn't just say this was murder I'll hit you."